


Shades of Humanity

by Morgyn Leri (morgynleri)



Series: The Travel Collection: Drabbles, Snippets, and Supershorts [47]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Highlander, The Borgias
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, GFY, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-31
Updated: 2013-07-08
Packaged: 2017-12-13 13:40:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 2,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/824905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morgynleri/pseuds/Morgyn%20Leri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He can see his road behind him and before him, and there is a bleak, black rage that burns inside at the thought he has not accomplished all that he intended.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Before Him

**Author's Note:**

> A crossover between The Borgias (the series on Showtime), Highlander, and Harry Potter, with some extra supernatural elements thrown in that have a mythological bent to them, and some historical elements. Cesare makes a bargain with a being he doesn't fully comprehend, for his and Lucrezia's continued lives in exchange for a certain amount of service. Methos becomes involved in the mess with Voldemort after being tracked down by Severus Snape, who is only doing so because he wants to be rid of Kronos, who had ambushed him in Knockturn Alley. Cesare and Methos and Lucrezia are also all familiar with each other from Cesare and Lucrezia's mortal lives.

He can see his road behind him and before him, and there is a bleak, black rage that burns inside at the thought he has not accomplished all that he intended. Lucrezia is alone save for a husband Cesare doesn't truly trust with her, his mother and father are dead, and his children are scattered to the wind without him to support them.

And he lies there, pale and cooling, dead upon his bed. Unable to do anything for his family, and bitterly regretting that fact. He will not leave, though; refuses to follow that road he can see while there is aught he has left unaccomplished and family to care for.

"Few would choose your path." The stranger looks little more than some Dominican friar, save he had not been there when Cesare died, nor had any of that order been nearby.

"What path is that, good father? Priest turned prince?" Cesare scowls down at his useless body, before returning his attention to the stranger. "Or death by disease, followed by a journey to Hell?"

"Most would accept a journey into their own thoughts of an appropriate afterlife, as shaped by the religions they follow. You're rejecting that, in favor of a gift most would fear."

"What gift?" Cesare focuses more intently on the stranger, moving away from the bed and his own corpse. "And at what price?"

"Life. For the lives of those who would see all deny the gifts they've been given." The stranger shrugs. "It is little enough, as I see it, though my brothers think little of the methods I would employ in offering you this. But then, I do not think much of their methods or tools, so we have that much in common."

"Who are your brothers?" Cesare can't help but think the stranger is sharing more than he might otherwise, deliberately evoking Cesare's curiosity. Not that he has qualms with what price he's been told he'll need to pay - he's taken lives before without regret, and has no fear he'll develop such regrets in the future. "And what gifts?" There had been some bit of emphasis on the word, and that too piqued his curiosity.

"You would call them Gabriel and Lucifer." A small, wry smile crosses the stranger's face. "Their gifts are love - or perhaps understanding of a love beyond that of the corporeal - and Sight."

"And yours is life?" Cesare snorted, shaking his head. There is little in the stranger's words to give him a true idea of what sort of gifts he's referring to.

"Life, Death. They are the same." The stranger shrugs. "You would be, in some small way, as are the First Born." The stranger holds his gaze steadily. "If you chose so."

It is intriguing, and tempting, and Cesare is quiet for a moment as he contemplates it. "Not alone." He'll do anything for a chance to continue to protect Lucrezia, to provide her with everything she deserves and ought to be given. However long he might; forever, even, the two of them. If that's what he's being offered.

"She has to accept on her own." The stranger watches Cesare for another long moment, a secretive smile curving his lips. "But you will know if she does."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the prompt "road".
> 
> Originally posted as part of [The Travel Collection](http://archiveofourown.org/works/439754), in the chapter [The Ever-Changing Road](http://archiveofourown.org/works/439754/chapters/749674).


	2. Paradise

Lucrezia has found she quite enjoys the freedom of this modern era, though she's not certain she quite likes the need to be dressed while swimming. Though she will grant that what is required now is not so onerous as a century ago, for all that she can almost hear Cesare thinking that she ought to cover up more.

"Don't frown so, Cesare." She opens her eyes, turning her head to smile at her brother. "I have seen women who would wear less, even in a place such as this." Here, where they require that some form of clothing be worn by those who would enjoy the sun and the ocean.

"I know." The frown on Cesare's face doesn't vanish, though it does turn outward toward some of the others who populate the beach.

Lucrezia giggles, reaching out to tug at one of the curling strands of Cesare's hair. "You know no one is looking at me. They're all too afraid of you."

"They should be." Cesare wraps an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. "I don't trust any of them."

"None of them?" Lucrezia touched a fingertip to his chin, a mischevous smile on her face.

"Who did you invite to meet us here, my love?" Cesare smiles, a dangerous mix of indulgent amusement and protectiveness in his expression.

"Just an old friend who enjoys a tropical paradise." Lucrezia shrugs, dropping her gaze to Cesare's chin, stroking her finger over the warm skin. "I wish you had told me Jonathan was immortal, Cesare."

"I didn't want to alarm you, my love." Cesare strokes her hair, giving her a wry smile. No real apology, and she hadn't expected one. Cesare had never been one to apologize for doing what he thought necessary. "His has never been a truly quiet life."

"You forget I am not a child you must - or can - protect from the world any longer, Cesare." Lucrezia tilts her head, watching Cesare with a solemn expression. "I would have liked to see him again sooner."

"Should I worry, sis?" Cesare raises an eyebrow, a sardonic grin briefly crossing his face. "Or will you just scold me?"

"It is enough this time, Cesare." Lucrezia smiles, bright and happy once more, pulling away a little. She can only imagine the others on the beach must think them dear lovers, and would think less of them if they knew the truth of the bond between her and Cesare.

Cesare chuckles, leaning in to press a kiss to her forehead. "You must tell me how I can earn your forgiveness for such a sin, my love."

"You can pay for dinner tonight." Lucrezia lays back on her towel again, closing her eyes against the tropical sun. "I already made the reservations."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the prompt "cove".
> 
> Originally posted as part of [The Travel Collection](http://archiveofourown.org/works/439754), in the chapter [Ocean's Edge](http://archiveofourown.org/works/439754/chapters/749690).


	3. Egyptian Sword

With Voldemort dead, his role at Hogwarts reverted to nothing more than a simple teacher, and he couldn't stand the children nearly that much. So Severus made arrangements to sell Spinner's End, and his safe house in Kent, the money to be placed in his Gringott's vault. He resigned his position at Hogwarts, though he at least gave Dumbledore the benefit of remaining until the end of the year.

He had a modest little house in the French countryside that his mother had spoken of when he was young. Not too far from Paris, but far enough that he didn't have to deal with the city if he didn't care to.

It's on one of his infrequent trips into that city, to sell some of the potions he brews and purchase some of the more exotic ingredients that he runs into the first Immortal he's seen since Methos had walked away from Kronos' corpse.

At first, Marcus Constantine is nothing impressive, though his little museum does catch Severus's attention. Ancient artifacts that are, to those who don't know any better, impressive simply for their age. Most even are nothing more than that. One, though, makes him frown and wonder how a Muggle got his hands on an artifact from what had to be an Egyptian wizard.

It becomes a different sort of curiosity when he returns later, when there are fewer patrons, to more closely examine the artifact, without the glass that the museum puts in the way. Disarming Muggle alarms is easy enough, but he can't properly inspect the item if he's under any sort of concealment spell - and that is apparently enough to attract the attention of Constantine.

"I would ask what you're doing here, if you were the first wizard to come back after hours to look at that sword." Constantine is at the doorway to the exhibit, where he can dodge to the side at any sign that Severus is going to attack him. An idea that had momentarily crossed his mind, but that Severus had dismissed as too amatuer.

He raises an eyebrow instead, waiting for an explanation of that particular observation, though he wonders how he'd been identified as a wizard.

"The sword belonged to a dear friend. She wasn't a wizard herself, but she had friends who were, at the time." A brief smile crossed Constantine's face. "Marcus Constantine."

"Snape." He could afford some courtasy now, but he wasn't willing to provide his entire name. And Constantine's brief explanation wasn't truly satisfactory, but it did answer some questions. Snape doubted there were many Immortals of any appreciable age who weren't at least aware that magic is very real.

"Join me for a drink, and I'll tell you some of the story of that sword." Not all of it, but Snape isn't surprised. He does, though, surprise himself by taking Constantine's offer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the prompt "dark".
> 
> Originally posted as part of [The Travel Collection](http://archiveofourown.org/works/439754), in the chapter [Not Always the Absence of Light](http://archiveofourown.org/works/439754/chapters/951873).


	4. First Born

"You know one of them." The girl's voice is small, her gaze fixed on Lucrezia, unblinking. Madness lurking around the edges, yet Lucrezia doesn't think think she actually is insane. It's more a madness of truth, she thinks, for the truth of the world could drive anyone mad.

"I know one of who?" Lucrezia smiles at the girl, keeping her voice pleasant and gentle. She doesn't want to scare her.

"Lucifer. Michael. Gabriel." A quiet laugh escapes the girl. "You don't see, though. You don't have that gift. Do you know, though? Or do you live?"

Lucrezia frowns slightly, puzzled. "What do you mean?" After all, of course she lives, as she is alive, but she isn't certain that's what the girl means.

"I see you. You shine, so pretty. Some shadows, but everyone has shadows. Not a monster. There are monsters in the world, you see, and they hide, but not from those who see." The girl reaches out to touch Lucrezia's sleeve, fingering the material of her blouse. "You don't see, so the monsters can hide from you, and they can hurt you without you being able to see them coming. Some people know, and some people live. Live and live and live, and never fade from the world. Never pass to another world, because they don't need to."

The girl looks up to meet Lucrezia's gaze again, a small smile passing over her face. "You live, don't you? Those who live shine more than people who don't. They're very pretty. Like Lucifer. And Michael. And Gabriel. They shine so bright, and are the prettiest. They see, and they know, and they live."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the prompt "dark".
> 
> Originally posted as part of [The Travel Collection](http://archiveofourown.org/works/439754), in the chapter [Not Always the Absence of Light](http://archiveofourown.org/works/439754/chapters/951873).


	5. Slate Roof

Rain reminds Lucrezia of dying, and of waking. She doesn't like to go out in it, especially when it's cold, but she likes the sound of it on a good roof, while she's warm and dry and safe. Smiling to herself, she shifts, snuggling closer to Cesare as she listens to the rain clattering against the slate of the roof above them. This time, the rain is soothing, with her brother and her both safe and warm, and that's all that's important.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the prompt "rain".
> 
> Originally posted as part of [The Travel Collection](http://archiveofourown.org/works/439754), in the chapter [A Misty Veil](http://archiveofourown.org/works/439754/chapters/1276502).


	6. Italian Breezes

The breezes in Rome, when there were any, often smelled of the Tiber and its offal. Those in Ferrarra smelled of the sea. The ones here, in her newest home, with her grandson and his wife and his little boy, smell of the moors, of heather and peat. A wild, stark beauty of a northern land far removed from the lusher ones of her youth, but a beloved one all the same.

Lucrezia smiles, and hitches her great-grandson higher on her hip, murmuring to him in Italian of dazzling stone baking in Rome's summer heat, and of sea breezes that cool as wonderfully as any charm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the prompt "wind".
> 
> Originally posted as part of [The Travel Collection](http://archiveofourown.org/works/439754), in the chapter [Sky-Song](http://archiveofourown.org/works/439754/chapters/1471349).


	7. Hogwarts

"Tell me about Hogwarts." Lucrezia smiles when her grandson lights up at the question, listening to Remus as he animatedly describes the school, about how Dumbledore had made a safe place for him for the full moon, about the friends he'd made with the boys in his dorm. There are worries about how they might react if they find out he's a werewolf, but he's in Gryffindor, and Lucrezia hopes that means they won't push him away just for something he can't control.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the prompt "tree".
> 
> Originally posted as part of [The Travel Collection](http://archiveofourown.org/works/439754), in the chapter [Branching From the Center](http://archiveofourown.org/works/439754/chapters/1539051).


	8. Those She Misses

There are days when Lucrezia misses her oldest child, the son of a stable-boy and the Pope's daughter that she had been. She's still a Pope's daughter, but her father is long dead, and the only family she has left is Cesare - and she is not defined by being his sister (or indeed, simply defined by him).

There are times, too, when she misses those mortal days when she was a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother. Nothing else. Not a grandmother to a werewolf, though she loves her grandson dearly. Not a queen in Cesare's chess game of world domination. Not a stubborn player in her own right, unwilling to give up her family and her agency to Cesare's pursuit of power.

But it isn't often, and she rarely spends more than a day at those memories.

The only ones she dwells on more often are as old, and she misses the two more than anything else in her world. Her mother, she thinks, might enjoy the centuries Lucrezia has lived, and Lucrezia desperately wishes she could once more let herself cry in the comfort of the arms of her mother. She cannot, and for that, there are days when she cannot forgive Cesare his bargain for their lives.

The other, she thinks perhaps Cesare might miss as well, but he never speaks of it. Neither of them do, and both mourn the loss of Micheletto alone. Their pet assassin, their shadowed friend who had made their lives easier - even more so than other long-lived friends they've met over the centuries.

And again, there is nothing she can do but remember, and not dwell too long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the prompt "Missing".
> 
> Originally posted as part of [The Travel Collection](http://archiveofourown.org/works/439754), in the chapter [All of a Question](http://archiveofourown.org/works/439754/chapters/1680257).

**Author's Note:**

> **OCs for this story/AU:**
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Michael - one of a trio of beings who take their names from Christian mythology (the other two being Lucifer and Gabriel), and interact with individual humans to change them. He, in particular, gave Cesare and Lucrezia a sort of immortality in return for Cesare carrying out some unspecified work for him.
> 
> Fiona - a young woman who's been given a gift of sight by Lucifer, and she sees people's intentions and desires - in essence, their souls - instead of their physical form.


End file.
